How Sejuani and Bristle Met
by Roxius
Summary: A commission done on Deviantart. A short story on how Sejuani, as a young girl, met her riding boar Bristle. Please R & R! The commissioner made up the plot.


A/N: This was a commission I did on deviantart. I do not know much about this series at all, so please do not mind what might be incorrect to the mythos of the game.

* * *

It had been two and a half days since young Sejuani began her outing into the frigid mountains. It was almost a hell on Runeterra. Hardly any food, hardly any water, hardly anything at all. Constant blizzards prevented one from seeing much further than a few feet in front of them. The icy winds constantly whipped and slashed at her cheeks, but she kept herself as tightly bundled as she could, to avoid freezing to death. For most people, this would be considered a death sentence. For a native of Freljord, however, it was dangerous, but not nearly as bad as it could have been during the winter time. This was only spring.

It was just another training session for the twelve-year-old; a test of her skill and wits within the dangerous environment that was her homeland. It was another way to prove herself as the one the mystics foretold would unite the land with her strength. Sejuani's father had also given her a goal for this outing: to find and bring back food. This was something that even the grown men of her village had difficulties achieving. Food was becoming more and more scarce these days.

'You know...I don't think I need this either...' Sejuani thought, and she tore off her heavy coat just as she was hit by a rush of snow and frigid winds. It felt good, a strong way to give her a jump-start, much better than what hot coffee could ever do. She flexed her muscles for a few seconds as more and more snow coated her small body. She didn't need protection against the elements. She would not let the elements conquer her; she would conquer them instead. As far as she was aware, she was the only one in her village who would do something like this, but that just made her all the more proud for running through the mountains in her plain clothes.

She raised one leg at a time, slowly shifting her way through the heavy blanket of fallen snow. She kept a knife, pouch, towel, spear and a plethora of other little necessary items in a heavy sack; she was going to need it if she was out on a hunt like this. She squinted her eyes tight as she tried to see through the heavy snow-fog. Suddenly, just when she felt her hopes were dashed, she saw it. Movement in the distance. She began running, or at least shuffled faster, in an attempt to catch up with the mysterious figure.

'I can't believe it! Whatever it is, it's definitely alive! Food! Real food!' Sejuani had been hungry for so long that she almost forgot what it felt like to eat. Most people in her family have. It was a very tough time for all of them, but maybe, if she could succeed here, they could have their first night with full bullies in ages.

As Sejuani got closer, she was finally able to make out the animal: a Snow Boar. A very rare species, thought to have already been hunted to extinction by her ancestors. They were written in the records to be dangerous and violent toward anything they perceived as a threat, but their meat, fat and hide were all extremely valuable.

'Yes! This is just what I was looking for...huh?'

Sejuani couldn't believe it. There it was, the Snow Boar, staring directly at her...and it was so painfully scrawny-looking. It was probably just a baby, which meant that it wasn't nearly enough meat to feed her family or even herself for that matter. The boar stared at her with its large, doe-like eyes. Had she been a 'weaker' woman, Sejuani would have admitted that it was actually adorable, but right now, she was too disappointed to care for the creature's cuteness. There was no point in killing it; she would be better off continuing her search.

'Dammit! I was so close too!' Sejuani sighed.

She turned around and began marching into the blizzard once more. She marched along for a few minutes before she felt something soft nuzzle her on the back of her leg. She turned around. It was that baby boar again.

"What're you doing? C'mon, shoo! Shoo!" Sejuani waved at it. The boar continued to stare at her with its lovely eyes. Sejuani reached down and pet its head. She could feel the bristles of its hair brushing against her skin. It was quite nice. The boar let out a squeak, and in that instant, Sejuani found herself smitten. Even a warrior in training like herself was just too weak to the overwhelming power of cuteness.

"Okay...fine. You can come with me."

* * *

As it turned out, the boar proved much more useful than just being a companion.

Its nose was incredibly powerful, allowing it to sniff out the faintest scents, even amongst the heavy blizzards that could easily disable a weaker creature's senses. The tiny animal led Sejuani into a nearby clearing between the rocky hillside, where she discovered a special type of edible mushroom that grew in cold, high climates. There was even a den of snow rabbits not too far from the same spot. It was the perfect meal for her and her family. Sejuani thanked the boar again for its help, hugging it.

That wasn't all the boar could could do, either; it was also very strong. A wolf pup tried to attack them, leaping at Sejuani when her guard was down, but the baby boar slammed into it, sending it careening over a cliff edge. Although it was a small animal and not very strong, had it been able to sink its teeth into Sejuani's neck like it intended, she would have surely died. She thanked the boar again and they quickly moved on. The nightfall came, the boar huddled against the girl and kept her warm with its thick, bristled fur.

After another two days of gathering food, Sejuani decided it was time to return to her village.

"Okay...so I'm going to make sure to explain to everyone that you're not meant to be eaten...so don't worry about that, okay?" she told the baby boar. As if to show it understood, the boar happened to nod its head. The boar's ears twitched, and it glanced over it shoulder at something watching in the distance.

They began descending the mountain side, and soon, the village came into view through the thick snow-fog. Sejuani smiled. It felt like it had been ages since she had seen her family. She couldn't wait to share a meal with them again, and to show off how strong she had become, as well as introduce her brand new pet.

'If I can even keep him as a pet, which will probably be harder than I think to convince them...' she thought to herself. Her father was a big fan of pork.

"You know, maybe you should wait outside the village for a little bit-" Sejuani started to say, but then she looked down, and saw that the boar was gone.

"Huh?"

She looked around. Sejuani saw her little boar running off past a large pile of rocks, kicking up handfuls of snow behind it.

"H-Hey! Where are you going?" she called back, but the boar kept running. It didn't look back at her even once. The boar soon disappeared from view, leaving Sejuani very alone, and confused. She lowered her gaze to the ground as she continued her walk. The boar had been with her for a few days, but it was clearly ridiculous to believe it would stay with her. It was a wild animal, and it had its own family somewhere; it had probably caught their scent and ran off to meet up with them. Sejuani tried to feel happy for it, but in a moment considered shameful for a warrior, she also felt hurt that the baby had abandoned her.

Sejuani took a few more steps before a sound in the distance brought her to a halt: it was the howl of a wolf. She swerved around because she realized it was coming from the direction that the boar had gone. Sejuani didn't have to think twice; she began running to the little animal's aid.

When she found the boar, it was cornered, surrounded by a gang of wolves. The wolves were intelligent creatures, and they must have found the dead pup that tried to attack Sejuani; because the boar had hit it with its body, it left a trace of its own scent that allowed the older wolves to flow. It was all making sense to the girl now. The boar had run away to keep the wolves from going after her. It was trying to protect her at the risk of its own life.

Sejuani leaped into the fray with her survival axe in hand. She slashed at the eyes of one wolf and the throat of another, dropping both of them in an instant. She attacked another wolf, but a swipe of its paw left a deep wound in her shoulder, coating the ground with droplets of her own blood. The wolf that attacked her was much larger than the others and it was missing a fang as well as one of its eyes. It must have been the leader of the pack. The wolf snapped its jaws, flinging its frothy saliva into the air, and lunged at Sejuani again.

The boar charged in as well at the same time. Sejuani tried to fight, but she felt something chomp onto her leg, and she stumbled backward, hitting her head on a rock. She blacked out.

* * *

"Sejuani! Sejuani! Wake up! Please!"

Sejuani opened her eyes to find her father and brother staring down at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the mystics standing close by. She must have been brought back to the village.

"Papa...Brother...what's...?"

"You were foolish to try and tackle a clan of wolves on your own, Sejuani; you are not yet strong enough, especially when the alpha male was present. It was fortunate that we happened across you and that boar just in time."

"What? The boar...is it okay?" Sejuani tried to sit up, but her head began throbbing, so she lied down again. She felt something wet press against her cheek, and she turned her head to see a familiar little snout. She smiled and pet him on the head; it was definitely its bristles she was touching right now. It didn't seem like it was wounded in any way either. It had come out of the attack far better off than she did.

"Yes, surprisingly," her father explained, "He was fighting like crazy to protect you; heck, it even tried attacking me after I took down the wolves, thinking I was going to hurt you! You don't see many creatures that brave...or that fool-hardy."

"Oh..." Sejuani didn't really know how to respond to that.

"It insists on remaining by your side; it isn't fool-hardy, but loyal." remarked one of the mystics.

Another mystic nodded in agreement. "Indeed. And very strong! A perfect companion for the one who will unite the land of Freljord."

"Y-You mean...?" Sejuani gasped.

"You may keep the boar. It will not be killed to provide food. Think of it as an extension of yourself from now on; you must learn to fight together in perfect harmony. It is for the sake of your family and the village that you must do this. Get well soon and resume your training, Sejuani. That is our decision."

"I understand! Thank you!" Sejuani was elated. Her father, however, didn't seem convinced yet, but the young girl was sure he would see things her way soon enough.

The boar rubbed its nose against its new owner again, and Sejuani ran her fingers through its thick hair again. The boar snorted happily into her face. She was going to have to come up with a name for her friend. Unfortunately, she had never been very good at names, but she refused to let anyone else than herself give this boar its name. After a few seconds of indecision, she finally made her choice.

"I'll name you Bristle!"


End file.
